A small, furry-tailed, insect-eating creature was the earliest ancestor of placental mammals—a widely diverse group of animals ranging from bats to humans—according to a new study in the journal Science by a team of international scientists, including a core group of Museum researchers.

They may seem as delicate as gossamer, but moths and butterflies routinely survive the cold, harsh weather of New York winters. This post, adapted from A Seasonal Guide to New York City's Invertebrates, written by Elizabeth A. Johnson, explains a bit about how the four-stage life cycle of these insects helps them survive the cold.

On Sunday, February 3, 2013, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, reached a Twitter milestone: a million followers for his tweets from @neiltyson.